Honey Locust

A graceful shade tree with fine, feathery compound leaves that cast light, dappled shade allowing grass and flowers to grow beneath the canopy. Thornless and podless cultivars have made honey locusts popular street and lawn trees, eliminating the dangerous thorns and messy seed pods of wild trees. They are extremely tolerant of drought, salt, alkaline soil, and urban conditions. The small leaflets decompose quickly in autumn and rarely require raking, unlike most other shade trees.

Honey locust seeds have an extremely hard coat that must be scarified before germination. Nick the seed coat with a file or soak seeds in concentrated sulfuric acid for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. Alternatively, pour boiling water over seeds and allow them to soak for 24 hours. Sow scarified seeds in moist potting mix at 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, where they germinate in 7 to 21 days. Named cultivars must be grafted onto seedling rootstock, as they do not come true from seed.

The Season Plate

Your Honey Locust Year

Composed for Zone 7 · typical seasons · frost passes Apr 2, returns Nov 1

Sow Honey Locust Mar – Apr, Oct – Nov, pick —. Set your climate below and every date on this plate re-times itself.

Sowing window

Mar – Apr, Oct – Nov

re-timed to your frost dates

Plant out

after Apr 2

once frost risk has passed

First picking

around Mar 13

≈ 2555 days from sowing · 50 to per plant

Composed for —ColdTemperateMildWarmUse my locationUsed once to set your season · only the zone is kept

Week-by-week Honey Locust reminders watering, feeding and pruning, timed to your dates

In the app

Frost alerts for your garden a warning before a cold night costs you the crop

In the app

Succession sowing dates so the picking never gaps mid-season

In the app

Subscribe free

Get my Honey Locust datesSaved to your free garden plan · no card needed

Plant honey locusts in full sun in almost any soil type, including heavy clay, sandy, alkaline, and compacted urban soils. Their exceptional adaptability makes them ideal for challenging sites. Space trees 30 to 40 feet apart for shade planting. Always select thornless, podless cultivars such as Shademaster or Sunburst for landscape use, as wild-type trees have dangerous thorns and produce messy seed pods.

Water newly planted trees deeply once a week during the first growing season. Honey locusts are among the most drought-tolerant shade trees once established and rarely need supplemental irrigation. Apply a 2 to 3 inch layer of organic mulch over the root zone. The fine compound leaves cast light, dappled shade that allows turf grass and perennials to grow beneath the canopy.

Prune in late winter to maintain a strong central leader and remove any crossing or dead branches. Honey locusts develop a naturally open, spreading crown that requires relatively little corrective pruning. Watch for webworm and mimosa webworm damage in summer. The tiny leaflets break down rapidly in autumn and rarely require raking, which is a significant advantage over most shade trees.

Honey locusts are one of the best shade trees for companion planting because their fine, compound foliage casts light, filtered shade that allows turf grass, perennials, and even vegetables to grow beneath them. The tiny leaflets decompose rapidly, adding nitrogen-rich organic matter to the soil. Plant sun-loving perennials like coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, and ornamental grasses under the open canopy. Spring bulbs including tulips, daffodils, and crocuses thrive in the dappled light. Avoid moisture-sensitive plants directly over surface roots.

The Society Table

Daffodil belongs beside it. Walnut Tree doesn't.

Old growers' knowledge, checked against Honey Locust's real companion table below — test any plant you're growing.

Grows well in the company of · 3

DaffodilTulipPansy

Keep apart · 1

Walnut Tree

Plant Honey Locust with good neighboursThe planner flags conflicts before they're in the ground

Related growing guides

Flowers

Daffodil

A good companion for Honey Locust

Flowers

Tulip

A good companion for Honey Locust

Flowers

Pansy

A good companion for Honey Locust

Trees

Maple

View growing guide

Honey locusts thrive in an extraordinarily wide range of soils, from heavy clay to sand, and tolerate pH levels from 5.0 to 8.5. They are one of the few shade trees that perform well in strongly alkaline and saline soils. Young trees benefit from a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer applied in early spring. Mature trees rarely need supplemental fertilization due to their nitrogen-fixing root nodules that improve soil fertility. Avoid over-fertilizing, which promotes succulent growth susceptible to frost and pest damage.

Ideal Temperature

Hardiness Zone Compatibility

Honey locusts are primarily grown as ornamental shade trees, and thornless podless cultivars produce no harvestable material. Wild-type honey locust trees produce long, twisted brown pods in autumn that contain a sweet pulp historically used as animal feed and occasionally as a human food source. Pods should be collected after they fall from the tree in late autumn. The pulp has a sweet, honey-like flavor that can be extracted by soaking pods in water.

Storage & Preservation

Seed pods from wild-type honey locusts can be stored in burlap sacks in a dry, cool location for several months. The sweet pulp can be separated from the seeds and dried or processed into a syrup by boiling the pods in water and straining. Dried pods keep for over a year in airtight containers. The extremely hard, durable wood is prized for fence posts and outdoor construction due to its natural rot resistance. Seeds remain viable for years when stored dry and cool.

Mimosa Webworm

Pest

Larvae spin silken webs that enclose clusters of leaflets, turning them brown and unsightly. Heavy infestations create large masses of webbed, dead foliage throughout the canopy.

Prevention Inspect trees regularly in early summer for initial web formation. Encourage natural predators like parasitic wasps and predatory bugs.

Fix: Prune out and destroy web masses when small. Apply Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) or spinosad when caterpillars are young and actively feeding. Systemic insecticides applied in spring provide season-long prevention.

Honeylocust Plant Bug

Pest

Tiny insects feed on newly expanding leaves in spring, causing distorted, stunted, and discolored foliage. Severely damaged leaves may drop, causing a second flush of growth.

Prevention Maintain tree vigor through proper watering and nutrition. Monitor for the small green nymphs on expanding buds in early spring.

Fix: Apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil when nymphs are first observed in spring. Systemic insecticides applied before bud break provide effective control for severe infestations.

Canker Disease

Disease

Sunken, dark areas on bark that may girdle branches, causing dieback. Bark may crack and ooze sap around the margins of the canker.

Prevention Avoid wounding the bark during mowing and maintenance. Keep trees healthy with adequate water during drought stress.

Fix: Prune out cankered branches at least 6 inches below the visible damage. Sterilize pruning tools between cuts. No chemical controls are effective against established cankers.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

Mimosa webworm is the most significant pest, creating unsightly webs throughout the canopy in summer. Honeylocust plant bugs can cause distorted spring growth that may alarm homeowners, though trees typically recover. The fine leaflets can clog gutters despite their small size. Wild-type trees with thorns pose a serious hazard in landscapes and should never be planted near foot traffic. Surface roots may develop in shallow or compacted soils. Some cultivars are prone to included bark in branch crotches that weakens the structure.

Growing Tips

1. Select thornless cultivars such as 'Shademaster', 'Skyline', or 'Sunburst' for residential landscapes to avoid the dangerous branched thorns found on wild species specimens.
2. Plant in full sun for the best growth and pod production; honey locust tolerates partial shade but becomes leggy and produces fewer pods with less sunlight.
3. The tree adapts to virtually any soil type, from heavy clay to sandy loam, and tolerates both acidic and alkaline conditions with a pH range of 4.5 to 8.2, making site preparation minimal.
4. Water newly planted trees deeply once per week during the first two growing seasons to establish a strong root system, then discontinue regular watering as the tree is exceptionally drought tolerant once established.
5. If growing for pod production, ensure you plant a female tree or a seedling-grown tree rather than a grafted podless cultivar; nurseries can help identify pod-bearing selections.
6. Space trees at least 30 to 40 feet from structures, driveways, and other trees to accommodate the eventual 60 to 80 foot height and 40 to 50 foot canopy spread.
7. Apply mulch in a wide ring around young trees, extending at least 3 feet from the trunk, but never pile mulch against the bark as this promotes rot and pest harboring.
8. Prune in late winter or early spring while the tree is still dormant to shape the canopy and remove deadwood; avoid heavy pruning in summer as it can stress the tree and attract boring insects.
9. Collect fallen pods promptly in autumn if you want to prevent self-seeding, as honey locust can spread aggressively in favorable conditions when pods are left on the ground.
10. Monitor for mimosa webworm, the most common pest of honey locust, which creates silken tents in the canopy during summer; remove tents by hand or treat with Bacillus thuringiensis if infestations are severe.